Episode 613: Vegan Voices with Joanne Kong, PhD

Dynamic vegan activist and speaker Joanne Kong, PhD, joins Jasmin on the podcast this week for an inspiring discussion about her personal journey into veganism and why she has dedicated herself to promoting veganism globally. Dr. Kong also provides insight into the brand new book that she curated and edited, Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, which brings together the stories of vegan activists from all over the world. She also shares how animal rights activists not only will be inspired by these essays, but can use them in their own efforts to fight for animals. She strongly believes that this is the moment when the public is finally open to having difficult conversations surrounding animal rights and veganism and that now is the time to bring our activism to a new level.
Joanne Kong has been praised throughout the country as one of the most compelling advocates for plant-based nutrition, raising awareness that greater compassion for animals and our planet is vitally necessary for transformative growth and positive world change. She is the author of If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan and has been profiled in the groundbreaking book Legends of Change, which is about vegan women who are changing the world. She has given presentations in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and  India. Dr. Kong appears in the upcoming documentaries Eating Our Way to Extinction and Taking Note and is a Sustainability Leadership Award recipient at the University of Richmond.

“Veganism is really part of a big picture. It’s all about ‘what does your life mean?’ ‘What is your identity?’ ‘What are the things that are important to you?’ And it’s becoming clearer and clearer, of course, how animal agriculture is harming the planet.” – Joanne Kong

Highlights:

• Kong’s vegan story, including her journey from simply going vegan to giving talks about veganism across the world
• How she uses her personal story to encourage others to listen to what she has to say about animals
• How she became involved with Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers and the overarching themes of the book
• Kong’s target audience for the book, and how Our Hen House listeners can support her in getting the word out and use this book in their own advocacy efforts
• More about If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan
• Why she feels that talking about the plight of animals is something people are more open to than they have been in the past
• Kong’s advice to people who want to communicate more effectively about going vegan

Connect with Joanne Kong:

• Vegans Make a Difference Website
• Joanne Kong on Facebook
• Joanne Kong on Twitter
• Joanne Kong on Instagram

Connect with Our Hen House:

• Our Hen House Website
• Our Hen House on Facebook
• Our Hen House on Instagram
• Our Hen House on Twitter

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This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.

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Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast.
The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.